ANTIQUE JUKE BOXES (Mar, 1956)

A rare find in a dusty attic led to Louis Kernstein’s role as an expert on old music machines.

TWENTY-FIVE years ago, Louis Kernstein found an old, dusty victrola in the attic of his family home in Freehold, N. J. The machine was in sad need of repair and Louis scoured his neighborhood for parts. He didn’t find the parts but he did discover all kinds of music boxes and machines which formed the basis of his present remarkable collection.

The Automatic Musical Instrument Collectors’ Association was founded in the late 1960’s, and although originally the emphasis was on reproducing pianos, in recent years members have been trying to de-emphasize these particular instruments in favor of a broader spectrum of automatic pianos, pipe organs, reed organs, player violins, banjos, etc.